A Time For Love (A Time For Love Series-Book 1)

Heartbreak

One year before the shooting

"Coney Island is so wild but really one of my favorite places." Tess says smiling as both her and Stef eat their hot dogs and take a seat on the bench as it faces the beach. It is rather crowed for it was a warm summer day and they had just finished watching the Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest.

"Mine too it does have some charm to it huh?"

"That it does. But can you believe how many hot dogs that guy ate Stef? If you ask me it was disgusting." Tess says laughing as Stef smiles wide at her laughing herself and if she was honest she was feeling so damm nervous right now because even if her and Tess had been friends since they were kids she had wanted to ask her out for the longest and it was making her head spin and the heat wasn't helping.

Right now she can't help but stare at her beautiful profile as Tess continues to talk , remembering her brother Mike had told her to stop being such a pussy and do it already. But it was damm easier said then done because Stef didn't want to mess crap up, and now that they were partners she didn't want to make it weird. But Tess was single and Stef had no idea if she was even into women at all but she'd kick herself if she didn't at least try.

"Oh I know it was rather gross." The blonde says taking another bite of her hotdog as Tess puts hers down turning her body to face her friend as she wipes her face with a napkin.

"Yeah, so what's up with you? You've been weird lately." She asks catching Stef off guard as the blonde sips her cola and takes another bite of her hot dog wishing Tess didn't look as pretty as she did right now with her beautiful dark skin, radiant and shiny long black hair, and her matching shorts and tank top with strappy sandals.

"Me?"

"Yes. I'm looking right at you. Why are you being weird Foster?"

"Oh well I don't think I am, just being myself." Stef laughs awkwardly as Tess continues to stare right at her not believing a word she said for she knew Stef very well. Better than she knew herself as she moves her sunglasses on top of her head looking harder at the blonde.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that. I can see right through you ya know. Always have so you might as well fess up Stefanie. This isn't a normal hang out with us."

"We come to Coney Island all the time Tess."

"Sure we do BUT you have been weird since you asked me. To me it feels more like a date if you ask me honey girl." Tess is her sassy self as she takes another bite into her hot dog and the blonde clears her throat searching for an answer.

"Well a date between best friends." Stef says as Tess looks right at her again causing the blonde cop to blush as she lets out a heavy sigh. "Ok, you got me I um, I've just been thinking Tess and I feel awkward as hell."

"Why it's just me."

"I know but... I....I've wanted to ask you something and..." The blonde is soon cut off as Tess grabs her hand as she hears music being played on the boardwalk now for the woman loved to dance to anything and always had.

"Hush come dance with me, nobody will notice us down here. It's gay day." She jokes catching the blonde off guard as she drags her onto the boardwalk along with the rest of the Coney Island crowd that is dancing and having a good time as Stef boldly pulls the woman closer to her as they sway back and forth to the music. "Now what did you wanna say? What, you want to date me Stefanie Foster?"

"Goodness, you can't wait for me to ask you Miss Boss!" The blonde jokes as Tess stares hard into her eyes and Stef pushes her even closer to her being lost in the crowd of people that surrounded them not noticing them for anything. Which she was grateful for because any minute she was about to kiss this woman whom she had loved her entire life as Tess wraps her around the woman's neck grinning from ear to ear.

"Well, you gonna ask me out baby or what? I gotta beg?" Her voice is sweet and sultry causing the blonde to feel the extreme heat between them as she feels Tess play in her hair not looking away for anything.

"No, you do not have to beg ever love. Will you go out with me? You know maybe be my girlfriend one day?"

"Took you long enough to ask me. I wasn't sure how many more dates I was gonna have to go on before you asked me."

"What? You were waiting for me to ask you?" Stef laughs as Tess playfully rolls her eyes looking back at her friend.

"I've been waiting for years Stef. And yeah I'm gay as hell, so after this come over."

"You do not need to tell me twice." The blonde laughs leaning in and kissing the woman's lips softly for the first time ever and they don't pull away for anything as the crowd around them dances to the music not noticing the two women for anything.

It was hard to believe that it was only a year ago that the two women had started to date and as Stef lay in her hospital bed with that day coming in and out of her mind her eyes slowly start to open as she feels the worst headache of her life. The worst and the worst confusion and disorientation that she could ever fathom and her body hurt like hell.  Her memory felt, felt stuck and bizarre.

It all felt bizarre but she had tears running down her face from fear, from anxiety, from panic, from not knowing why she was here or how she got here, and mostly from feeling like she just lost the most important person in her life and one that she had loved since she was eleven. And she had for Tess Brown had died less than two minutes ago after almost two weeks of fighting for her life.